


The village

by Melisarcastique



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Adventure & Romance, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Monsters, Post-Cancer Arc (X-Files)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 13:08:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29314599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melisarcastique/pseuds/Melisarcastique
Summary: The story is inspired by the movie "The village" and takes place during season 5.Mulder and Scully are looking for a monster in the woods when they discover a strange village.
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Comments: 29
Kudos: 35





	1. A strange village

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfiction written in English which is not my native language. I hope that this will still be pleasant to read. My story is inspired by the movie “The village”. Thank you for being here, I hope you’ll like.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters and the plot of The x files and The village. They belong to their creators.
> 
> Enjoy

Mulder and Scully had been walking in the woods for a few hours. It was Mulder’s idea to come here, as usual. Someone went to his office the day before to talk about what he thought was a monster he had seen. Well, this man wasn’t really allowed to enter these woods as they were a protected natural area but it was also one of the reasons why the FBI investigator was so interested in them.

“How long have we been here Mulder ?” the female agent asked.

“Come on Scully, you’re not tired, are you?”

“We’ve been in these woods for a long time and yet we haven’t seen any clue of any paranormal activity or even of any animal. It’s time to go back to the car Mulder.”

He stopped moving a moment, thinking. “Do you know that there is a legend about this place ?”

As Scully heard the word _legend_ , she rolled her eyes. “Mulder…”

“Well, the legend says that some monsters live here. Very tall, they wear a kind of a red cape.” He interrupted her.

“A red cape, really ?”

“I know Scully, not so trendy”, he smiled. “Actually, it’s quiet interesting, according to the book those monsters live in a pack, they can be very dangerous if they are disturbed by something or someone. However, one of them might find itself alone. And in this case, its behavior would be totally different, it would track its prey for days or even weeks until this one would be left alone and then…”

“You’re not telling me that you believe in that guy’s story, that what he saw was a monster ? Mulder please, did you see his eyes, it’s obvious that this man is a junkie.” the redhead said. “It could have been anything.”

Mulder stopped and turned to Scully. “Did you hear that ?” he whispered.

“Hear what ?” she asked. Scully looked around her. “It must be a deer or a boar at worst.”

“Sure.”

“Can we go back now ?”

“Yes, I’m sorry Scully” he apologized.

“It’s okay Mulder but I don’t think we’re gonna make it to the car before it gets dark.”

“That’s the reason why we brought our sleeping bag.” he said flirty.

Scully turned trying not to blush. Suddenly, she raised her head and looked beyond. “These woods are part of a protected natural area, is that right ? No one lives here, you’re sure ?” she asked confusedly.

“Yes, that’s what they told me, wh…” he replied as he turned to see what she was looking at. Indeed, they could barely but still see houses behind the trees. “Are we seeing the same thing ?”

“I think so Mulder, and that may be the first time actually.”

“We have to get there.”

“Well, I agree with you.” Scully answered.

As they arrived in the small village, the two investigators noticed immediately that it was lost in the middle of the forest, in fact, there wasn’t any road that could link the town to the cities. There were several houses, not very modern ones by the way. There were vegetable gardens, fields and old barns. However, there were no signs of any technology and even no cars or farm tractors.

Mulder and Scully started to walked into the village when a young boy who was playing on the ground saw them. During a minute he stared at them, quiet but scared, before he cast a glance at the forest behind and fled.

“What’s wrong with him ?” Mulder said.

“I don’t think he’s very used to meet strangers that often.” Scully replied.

All of a sudden, they heard footsteps. A woman dressed in a dress that looked to come from the previous century was running to them but before she reached the agents, the woman stopped and knelt on the ground, her head in her hands. Worried and confused, Mulder and Scully got closer.

“Are you okay ma’am ?” the female investigator asked. She looked into her partner eyes, wondering what they could do.

Then, the woman stood up and looked at them. They could notice that she had sobbed. She was in her forties, her hair was blond but we could see that it was getting grey.

“What’s your name, ma’am ?” Mulder questioned.

“You… you can’t be here.” she whispered. “You’re not supposed to be here.”

“Don’t worry, we are federal agents with the FBI, this is agent Mulder and I’m agent Scully.” the redhead said. “We don’t mean you any harm, we’re kinda lost actually.”

“Julie Hunt… That’s my name, Julie Hunt.” she stuttered.

Suddenly, a man called. “Julie !” He looked to be in his fifties, his hair was brown and grey. He was followed by the little boy who fled earlier.

“Calm down Julie, that’s okay.” he said. Then, he turned to Mulder and Scully. “Hi, I’m sorry, we don’t see other people very often, we’re just surprised. Let me introduce myself, I’m Rupert Jenkins.”

“Nice to meet you, this is agent Scully and I’m agent Mulder, we’re with the FBI.”

“The FBI ?” the man repeated.

“Federal bureau of investigation.” Mulder answered.

“Yeah, sorry.”

“Are you from the cities ?” asked the child.

“Well, yes, we’re from Washington but we came in car.” he replied.

“In car ?”

“Anyway, what brought you here?” Julie interrupted them.

Scully noticed it but answered. “We were just controlling the woods. Do you know that your village is not reported on any maps ?”

“You know, this is an old town, it doesn’t surprise me.” Julie said.

“So… We were wondering if we could spent the night here as it’s getting dark.” Mulder added.

Rupert and Julie shared a look.

“For sure, let us just talk about it with the other elderly people. You can stay in Julie’s house meanwhile.” Rupert answered.

“Thank you.”

“Well, follow me. Nevertheless, I hope you don’t mind being… noiseless. I mean, until the villagers are aware of your presence.” Julie continued.

“No problem, we understand.” Scully replied.

As they started moving, Mulder’s gun appeared under his coat and Rupert stopped them with a gesture of his hand. “I’m sorry but firearms are not welcomed here, if you want to stay among us you’ll have to give them to us.”

Scully and Mulder looked into his eyes, trying to determine if it was a good idea.

“Then, we will give them you back, of course. That’s the rule.” The man said holding out his hand.

The investigators shared a look. “I guess we can trust you sir.” Mulder replied not fully convinced. They both took their guns and gave them to Rupert Jenkins.

“Thank you.”

Julie and the boy led the agents into her house. The interior was pretty simple, there were a table, some chairs and a sofa in front of a chimney.

“So this is my home. I live there alone with my son, Joseph, it won’t be very noisy, don’t worry. Well, I’ve got a free bedroom that one of you can take. However, the other one will have to sleep in another house, unless they want to do it on the couch.”

“I’ll take the couch thanks, Scully can have the bedroom.” Mulder declared. He didn’t want to leave his partner unarmed with strangers.

Scully looked at him surprised by how fast he answered.

“Are you sure sir, because I’m sure someone else would be thrilled to host you for the night?” Julie said.

“Yes, I prefer the couch, if it doesn’t bother you.”

“Well, it doesn’t bother me at all but it’s at your risks, my sofa isn’t that comfortable.” The woman added. “Anyway, the room is the one on your left if you want to get rid of your bags. Now, I have to leave you. Joseph, you can go back outside.”

The child nodded and did it after staring at the federal agents. His mother followed his footsteps before turning back to Mulder and Scully. “Also, I’m sorry for saying what I said when I saw you first, I don’t know why I said those things, I must be tired. See you later.” Then, she closed the door behind her.

“Strange, isn’t it?” Mulder asked his friend.

“I don’t know Mulder, I think that I’d go crazy too if I had to live in this village.” Scully replied. “Anyway, that’s very kind of them to host us for the night.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Mulder said distracted. He was looking at the window, Joseph was sitting on the porch staring at the woods. However, a group of three children of his age that were walking in front of the window saw Mulder and ran away. He thought it was strange but as Scully said earlier, the villagers weren’t used to meet strangers.

One hour later, Julie came back with the other elderly people. They introduced themselves to Mulder and Scully and asked them a few questions. Besides, they invited them to a dinner with all the villagers to celebrate their arrival as they didn't have a lot of visitors. An invitation that they accepted even if they were both tired because they didn’t want to offend them.

When the investigators arrived at the dinner place, a large table where about thirty people were sitting was waiting for them. They couldn’t help but notice the looks that the children gave them. They seemed to be afraid of something. Moreover, there weren’t two free chairs placed side by side so they had to sit separately. Everyone was so quiet that Mulder and Scully got awkward. Silence remained till Rupert Jenkins stood up and spoke. Firstly, he greeted them, secondly, he introduced them to the village and then he said something strange about the woods that the FBI agents didn’t really understand. Now, they all started to eat while Mulder and Scully shared a long look as if they were reading each other’s mind.

During the dinner, Scully heard something the children were talking about that drew her attention:

“Do you think they have seen them in the woods?”

“I hope they haven’t. If they have we’d be in great jeopardy.”

“Have you ever seen one of them Katy?”

“No but my sister has. She told me she was terrified.”

“Guys, what if there was a way to cross the forest without being seen?”

“Don’t you ever think about that Jimmy, you know it’s too dangerous.”

“Then tell me why these two people are here and alive.”

Scully had to stop listening as a voice called her name. “So, Miss Scully, how long have you been working with agent Mulder?”

She turned her head to her right to see who was talking to her. It was an old woman sitting next to her that she had met earlier.

“Well, I was assigned to work with him five years ago, I think.” She answered smiling while she was remembering their first meeting.

“And yet, you haven’t been separated?”

“No. I mean not for a long time.”

A young woman joined their conversation. “And what is it like to go after criminals? You must feel so alive!”

Mulder was talking to some persons about the village when he heard Scully’s laughter from the other end of the table. He turned his head to get a look at her. He had learnt to enjoy every single laughter of hers since her cancer. This had made him realize how much he cared about her, how much he was grateful for her being in his life, how much he… loved her. However, Mulder had decided not to tell her about his feelings, he had decided that he will always be there for her, to save her when she needed to be saved, no matter what happened. And telling her how he felt could ruin their relationship, and that was a risk he could not take, he needed her in his life.

The dinner ended at 10 pm and everyone went back to their homes. Julie and her son were already in their bedrooms so Scully and Mulder could talk alone in the living room. The woman was sitting on a chair while the man was leaning against the back of the sofa.

“Is it me or there is something … _spooky_ about this village?” Scully asked yawning.

Mulder laughed.

“What?” she questioned.

“I’m sorry, I thought you were Dana Scully, I must be mistaking.” He teased her.

She smiled. She was tired but she loved his sense of humor.

“You’re talking about the woods?”

“Yes I am, I heard some children talking. It seems they’re afraid of something that is in those woods.”

“Maybe some monsters with red capes…” he said.

“I wasn’t thinking about monsters Mulder but I do think that there is something in the forest and that these people know something about it.”

“So what do you want to do Scully?”

“Maybe we could stay a bit longer and…”

“And investigate.” He finished.

“Good night Mulder.” She said smiling.

“Good night Scully.”

She stood up and left the room to go to her bedroom. Mulder watched her closing the door and stayed a little bit in this position before going to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was the first chapter, I hope you're interested in the story. Feedback are always welcomed by the way :)


	2. Those we don't speak of

Mulder woke up early as he didn’t sleep very well this night. Julie didn’t lie when she said her couch wasn’t comfortable. When he finished to dress up with a black jumper and blue jeans, Julie Hunt entered the room.

“Morning’ ma’am.” He greeted her.

“Morning' agent Mulder, what would you like for breakfast?” She said while going to the kitchen.

“Oh, I let you choose.”

He was surprised by how early she got up, he wondered if it was because of their presence or if it was a habit.

“Coffee?”

“Yes please.”

She came back with a plate where she had put brioches and empty cups. She put it on the table and invited Mulder to sit with her. At the same time, Scully entered the room. She was wearing the same clothes she wore the day before, black pants and a grey sweater.

“Good morning Miss Scully, have a seat.” Julie greeted her.

“Thank you.” She answered yawning.

Their host stood up to bring back the coffee letting Mulder and Scully together for a minute. They smiled shyly to each other. Then, she sat back with them and served coffee.

“So… There was something we wanted to ask you.” The redhead began. “We were wondering if we could stay here a bit longer, maybe just another night or two.”

They looked at the woman’s face trying to read her mind.

Scully continued. “As you know we came here to control the woods and we’d appreciate to stay in your village to finish our work.”

She remained quiet.

“Ma’am?” Mulder called.

“There’s something I need to tell you too. You can’t leave the village now that you’re in.”

“I don’t understand.” He answered.

“I don’t know how you managed to come here without being hurt but it shouldn’t have happened. Humans can’t go into these woods, it’s forbidden. It is an old agreement, we own the village and they own the forest.”

“Who?” the male agent questioned.

“Those we don’t speak of. There are rules here and if you don’t abide by them, they come for us.” A tear began to roll down her cheek. “The last time that one of us tried to cross the forest… They killed him.” She wiped her tear with her fingers and added: “His name was Connor Hunt, he was my husband and Joseph’s father….”

Scully put her hand on hers. “I’m sorry, we can only imagine how hard it is.”

“Don’t worry, we’re doing great now. All of this happened five years ago.” She replied sadly.

“Julie, how did you call his murderers?” Mulder asked.

“That’s how we call them, those we don’t speak of.”

“And what are the laws?”

“The most important one, no one enters the woods.” She said.

“Are you saying that none of you has ever left the village?” the female investigator asked.

She nodded. “And you won’t or they’ll catch you.”

Mulder stood up and went to his bag where he took out a book. The women were looking at him wondering what he was doing. He was turning the pages till he stopped. He put the book on the table so they could see. “Do they look like this?”

It was a drawing of a brown monster, it was standing on its own legs, it had a boar face, huge claws and was wearing a red cape.

“That’s them. Where did you find this?” she asked.

“I borrowed it to the library.”

Scully looked at the woman’s face then at Mulder’s one that was very serious. “Mulder can I talk to you outside?”

He nodded and followed her. Scully waited for the door to be closed to speak.

“What was that Mulder? Do you really believe that what killed this man was a monster?”

“I’m not saying I believe it but you can admit that there’s a lot of things that make sense now. What that guy saw, this legend, the children you heard, this lost village.”

“Mulder, don’t you see that this woman as well as those children have been brainwashed into believing in this story? They have never been outside the town!”

“But what about that man who was killed? How do you explain it Scully?”

“You and I know perfectly that most of the time the monsters are simply humans.”

“That would mean that there is a murderer among them, among us.” Mulder said. “But why would they make up this story.”

“I don’t know. However, I don’t think that any of them would let us leave until we have found out what’s going on.”

Mulder and Scully spent the day visiting the village. They saw the fields, the school and talked to some persons. The villagers seemed to be friendly but every time they walked near children they heard them whispering. Some of them looked afraid while others were wondering if they could cross the forest safely. Scully felt bad for those children, it wasn’t their choice to live in this town forever. During the day she had heard how much some of them dreamt to visit the cities. They had asked so many questions about them and she was actually a bit surprised that their parents hadn’t already answered them. As they were walking between the houses, Mulder cast a glance at her and noticed her mind was elsewhere.

“Tell me. What are you thinking about, Scully?”

“It’s just that everybody is so friendly but I still have this bad feeling, you know?”

“Yeah I feel it too. They are maybe _too_ friendly to my mind.”

They were now in front of Rupert Jenkins’ house. The man saw them and got closer.

“Agent Mulder and Scully, how are you today?”

“Hi Mister Jenkins, we’re doing well, this is a pretty village that you have.” Mulder replied.

“Yes, actually we were wondering, when was it built?” His partner added.

“Oh, I don’t know, a long time ago for sure. I wanted to introduce you my son Logan.” He waved at two young men sitting against a tree. “Logan, Eric come here!”

They came to them. “So this is my son Logan. He’s turning twenty soon.” Logan had brown hair and blue eyes, he was pretty tall but looked a bit shy. His friend had the same age and was blond. “And this is Eric, Logan’s best friend. A brilliant man who’s going to marry Amelia’s daughter.”

“Nice to meet you and congratulation Eric.” Mulder said.

“Thank you sir. And congrats to you too.”

Mulder and Scully looked at him confusedly.

“For your marriage.”

The FBI agents looked at each other blushing. ”Oh, no we’re not married.” Scully said.

“We’re not even a couple.” Mulder added laughing. The female agent was a bit offended by his need for saying it but that was true indeed, they were not a couple. So why did it bother her?

“I’m sorry, I thought, I mean last night Mister Jenkins said you were partners.” Eric apologized.

“It’s okay, we work together that’s all.” Mulder explained. Well, that wasn’t maybe _all,_ he thought. However, that was a topic they avoided to tackle even if both of them knew that there was something more between them.

Logan couldn’t help but gazing at Scully. Mulder noticed it and placed his hand on her back unconsciously.

Logan removed his gaze. “I can’t imagine how awful it must be for you to know that you are trapped here.” He said. “I mean… I can’t because I’ve always been stuck here but you…”

“You’re talking about those we don’t speak of?” Mulder questioned. “Don’t worry, this is kinda our job to get rid of monsters.”

“I don’t think you can this time, they are way too dangerous and fearless.” Rupert replied.

The three villagers stopped talking and looked worried. Mulder who was hungry took out of his jeans’ pocket a package of chewing gum. A red package.

“Oh my god!” Eric said scared. “The red color!”

Logan rushed to the agent to catch the package and hid it with his hands. “Eric!”

Eric dug in the ground as fast as possible and his friend buried the object. Mulder and Scully were confused. Then, Logan and Eric stood up still shaking. “Julie must have forgotten to warn you about that.” Eric began. “The red color attracts them, you can’t own anything red in the village or we’d all be in jeopardy, you understand.”

“I-I’m sorry…” Mulder answered still in shock. ”I didn’t know. Is there another rule we haven’t heard about?”

“No, that was the only one besides that we can’t enter the woods.” Rupert replied.

“Well, we’re gonna leave you now.” Scully said taking her partner’s arm.

As they were walking away, Mulder leaned towards the redhead and whispered: “Did they just bury my package of chewing gum?”

“Yeah, I think so. _That_ was weird.” She said. “And did you notice how Rupert avoided my question?”

“Weird.”

Later that day, when it was night, the two FBI investigators came back to Julie’s home where they found the little boy Joseph sitting on the sofa and drawing. His mother was cooking in the kitchen and didn’t hear them coming in.

“I think we should call Skinner to tell him where we are and what we are doing.” Scully said.

“Yes, we should, you’re right.”

“I’ll be here in a minute.” She left the room to go in her bedroom.

Mulder who was tired walked to the couch and sprawled next to Joseph. He cast a glance at his drawing, he recognized the woods where two persons were standing in front of them. One of them was a girl with red hair and the other one seemed to be a boy. In a nutshell, they looked like Scully and him. Mulder was wondering if the little boy saw them like heroes since they were the first ones to cross this haunted forest. Maybe they were bringing hope to the young villagers, hope that they would not have to stay here forever, hope that they would escape and discover the world. He remembered how bad he wanted as a young boy to leave his home and to live his own life.

“This is a nice drawing, Joseph. Is that me?” He questioned pointing what he thought was him.

The child nodded.

“Your mom told me about your dad… I’m sorry, it must have been very hard for you.”

He remained silent.

“You know, I lost my dad too a few years ago… He was murdered.”

He didn’t say any word.

“Your mom told me yours was killed by some monsters that live in the woods.”

“Those we don’t speak of.” Joseph said without taking his eyes off his drawing.

“Yes, those we don’t speak of… And you, do you think it was them who did it?”

No answer. At the same moment, Scully came back holding her cellphone.

“I can’t reach the bureau, I’m gonna try outside, see you.” She left the house.

Then, Mulder continued. “You don’t have to answer, Joseph, but if you want to talk, I want you to know that I’m here.”

Meanwhile, Scully was struggling to reach Skinner because of the cell service. She walked away from the houses and was now near the border between the village and the forest.

“Oh gosh!” She complained. She tried another time to dial the number but unsuccessfully. However, as she was getting closer to the woods, she heard something moving. She slowly approached them trying to identify the noise source when suddenly she heard a voice: “I wouldn’t go if I were you, trust me.” Scully turned around, Logan was there.

“Sorry, I heard something… I was trying to call my boss.” She said. “You’re Logan, Rupert’s son, is that right?”

“Yes ma’am.” There was something very sweet in his eyes, Scully thought. He seemed to be smart and so kind. “Actually, I know a spot where it’ll be easier for you to call.” He said.

Logan led her to a scale that linked the ground to a wooden observation tower. Scully followed him to the top and dialed the bureau’s number.

“A.D Skinner, please.” She said to the phone and then turned to the young man and whispered: “It works, thank you.” He smiled shyly.

“He’s not in his office? Okay, then could you tell him when he’ll arrived tomorrow that agent Mulder and I have found a place to stay and that we are investigating another case which may be related to the reason why we went in those woods… Thank you.” She hung up the phone.

Logan was leaning over the barrier looking at the sky. Scully joined him. “So what is this observation tower for?” she asked.

“It was built to warn the villagers if those we don’t speak of were in the village. One of us has to sleep there each night. Tonight it’s my turn.”

“When was the last time they entered the village?”

“They haven’t been here for several years now. The last time I saw one of them, I was a child.”

“Then, how do you know they’re still alive?” Scully questioned.

He put his head down. “I know it must sound unreal for you agent Scully but it is not. Our parents have been warning us for years. I still remember the day we buried Connor Hunt…”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, one day I will leave the village. I don’t know how nor when but I will.”

They remained silent for a minute. Logan was gazing at Scully, he thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. “You know, I was watching you during the dinner yesterday… Are all the women in the cities as pretty as you are?”

She blushed, she did not expect that, the young man had a crush on her. “Thank you Logan, that’s very sweet of you.”

They were interrupted by a noisy breathing. “I think there’s somebody down there.” Scully whispered.

“It must be Eric. Hey, Eric, is that you?!” He called opening the hatch in the floor. However, that was not Eric. Indeed, Scully and Logan both saw a beast with a red cape and huge claws.

“Oh my god!!” The man closed it as fast as he could. “Those we don’t speak of!” he whispered scared.

Scully froze, she could not believe they existed. Then, she thought this beast or this monster, whatever it was, was getting closer to the houses. “We have to warn the others! You said this tower was built for that purpose then how do we warn them?”

“With the bell up there.” Logan said pointing the object.

“I’ve got to go, I’ve got to find Mulder! Ring the bell!”

“But Miss Scully, they’ll kill you, I’m sure that Julie will tell agent Mulder the best thing to do to protect himself.”

“You obviously don’t know him. I said ring the bell!” the redhead commanded and opened the hatch.

“Miss Scully…” But that was too late, she had already left. Logan rang the bell and closed the hatch to prevent those we don’t speak of from coming in.

Scully ran to Julie’s house and opened the door. Julie’s head protruded from the floor. In fact, there was a hatch that opened up to a basement.

“Where’s Mulder?!” she asked worried.

“Oh Miss Scully, when we heard the bell ringing he went looking for you outside.” Julie answered panicked.

She had to find him before that monster or before he’d do something stupid unarmed. Besides, if Mulder got hurt there were no emergency services to call. The FBI agent turned around and got out the house as fast as she could. However, she stopped petrified. It was there, standing on her left. Scully didn’t know what to do, would it leave if she didn’t move or did she have to run?

Mulder was afraid, no he was terrified. Where was Scully? He had run to the hill but she was not there. There were no signs of her. He was thinking of the worst, what if she had been attacked?

He heard a voice calling him: “Agent Mulder, what are you doing here?” It was Logan from the top of an observation tower. “Agent Scully came back to Julie’s home! She is looking for you!”

Scully could hear the beast breathing. If only she had kept her gun, she would have been able to defend herself. She tried to glance at the monster, it was slowly getting closer to her.

“Don’t let them enter Miss Scully.” Joseph whispered scared.

The door wasn’t even closed. She was terrified, she closed her eyes. She thought that maybe if she didn’t move, it would leave. But it didn't.

All of a sudden, Scully felt a hand taking hers and leading her to the inside of the house. She opened her eyes and shed a tear. It was Mulder. He closed the door behind them and they rushed to the basement before Julie closed the hatch.

They sat down, Mulder was hugging her. “Are you okay Dana?” He worried. As she didn’t answer, he took her head in his hands and made her turn to him. She had sobbed but she could see that he had too. Without a word Scully put her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. He was there, he was safe and thanks to him she was too.

The man hugged her as tight as he could. He pressed his lips on her forehead smelling her hair. She was alive and she was with him. 


	3. Tiredness

There was a split in the ceiling of the basement that enabled the light to come through it which lighted Scully's face. She opened her eyes and for a second she had forgotten where she was. But then, it came back to her mind, those we don't speak of, the bell, the beast, Mulder and the basement. She felt a warm arm around her waist, it was Mulder's. They had fallen asleep into each other's arms. Embarrassed, she moved away from him trying not to wake him up. A bit further, she could see Julie and her son sleeping on the floor. Scully was the only one to be awake. The woman stood up and opened the hatch slowly. Supporting herself with her hands, she got out and went to a window. She was gazing out the window when Mulder arrived behind her, he had been woken by the loss of her warmth.

"They're gone." She said.

Mulder opened the door and left the house, she followed him. At the same moment they could see some other villagers doing the same thing. Everybody's eyes were on the doors, they had all been marked with a red trace.

An old woman went to the middle of the street and spoke: "There will be a meeting in the great hall at nine o'clock. Everyone is invited."

Scully and Mulder were sitting in the middle of the villagers. The woman that had invited them was standing in front of them with Rupert Jenkins whereas Julie Hunt was sitting behind them with the elderly people.

Everybody was tired because of the events but the two investigators were even more.

"After discussing with the elderly people of what happened last night, it is clear for us that those we don't speak of are aware of agent Mulder and Scully's crossing of the woods." Rupert began.

"However, we don't think that they were here to harm us, it was only a warning." The woman continued. "This is why we _all_ must be extremely cautious and we expect you to comply with the rules."

"Any questions?" Rupert asked.

Mulder stood up. "Yes, I have. Look, agent Scully and I have been trained to chase after this kind of monster, if we could get our firearms back then we would be able to help you and protect everyone." He sat back.

"Yes, maybe, but if everybody behave and stay away from the forest, then there will not have any danger."

The FBI investigator stood up again. "Maybe you're right but why taking the risk?"

"Mister Mulder." Rupert warned.

"No, I don't understand. Last night, my partner found herself in front of one of them... unarmed! She's lucky, _we_ are lucky that it didn't harm her but we should keep in mind that one day, it could!" He sat back regaining his breath.

"Mister Mulder, that's the rule, we cannot allow guns in the village."

Then, it was Scully who stood up. "So you're saying that we can't go back to our car because it is too dangerous for us and the village as those beasts are here but also you're saying that we can't get our guns back to defend ourselves? Then, tell us, what do we do? Do we stay among you forever? Is that what you want?!" She said angrily. The redhead would not have been so angry if she had sleep better or if the inhabitants had been more honest with them when they met.

"No Miss Scully, what I'm saying is that we host both of you in our village because you wanted to stay but if you want to leave us despite of the danger you may."

She sat back frustrated.

"Also, Amelia and Eric's wedding will still be celebrated tonight, congratulation you two!" The old woman added. "Well, if there is no more questions we can now put an end to this meeting." Rupert finished.

The children were wearing a yellow cape, the color was supposed to ward the monsters off. Mulder accompanied them to the border with the forest, they were here to make an offering to those we don't speak of. Indeed, they brought three big pieces of ham that they threw into the woods. The FBI investigator thought this ritual was very interesting, well, this whole village was.

They left the place and came back to the houses where the inhabitants were cleaning their door. Mulder's eyes found Scully next to Julie's house cleaning the door. Nevertheless, she wasn't alone, she was talking with Rupert Jenkins' son, Logan. Where he was, Mulder couldn't hear them but the young man said something that brought a smile on her face and he felt a bit jealous. But then, he wondered why he was even jealous of a teen.

Anyway, Mulder joined them. His hand went to Scully's back, it had become familiar and comfortable for both of them through the years. She smiled all the more.

"Hi!" He said.

"Hi!" She replied. "Mulder, you remember Logan Jenkins, he was telling me that they had some clothes that they could lend us."

"Thank you, my t-shirt was starting to smell to be honest." He answered.

"No problem." Logan said. The young man noticed how comfortable the redhead had got since her partner arrived and he felt jealous too.

During the day, Mulder and Scully had done their best to be discrete. They weren’t very popular in the village as everybody considered them to be the reason of those we don’t speak of's _visit._ Therefore, they had both agree on giving them space and not talking about their guns today.

It was a day of celebration far away from their problems and everyone had dressed up for the occasion. A woman had lend a long dress to Scully. It had been designed in an old style, had long sleeves and was beige and green. Mulder was wearing a brown suit in the same style that he had borrowed to Julie, it was one of her late husband’s.

The two young bridegrooms were standing face to face in front of the altar where the old woman pronounced them husband and wife. As they were kissing, the crowd stood up and cheered them. Besides, the musicians started to play a lively song and people moved to the place of receipt to dance together. The investigators followed the happy crowd but stayed with the watchers. The villagers were dancing one of those dances where you change partners along with the music. The place was breathtaking, everything was lighted by garlands of every colors (well, not red) and there were flowers hung on everywhere.

The old woman reaching out to Mulder invited him to dance: “May I have this dance, Mister Mulder?”

“Well, it would be my pleasure but I’m afraid I don’t know how to dance.” He replied smiling.

The woman took his arm. “That’s okay, you’ll learn!” Mulder looked at Scully laughing while he was drawn to the dancefloor. They shared amused looks as he was struggling to understand what he had to do.

Suddenly, it was Scully who was drawn to the dancefloor by a young woman of the village: “Come on Miss Scully, I need a partner!”

“What!?” But it was too late, she was already with the crowd dancing not so far from Mulder. The man burst into laughter seeing her face.

“How are we supposed to do that?!” She asked giggling.

“I have no idea!” Mulder changed his partner with the one on his left and Scully with the one on her right. “Oh, okay!”

“Oh, oh, I think I got it!” The female agent said.

“Really? Because me, not at all!”

Mulder’s eyes went on Scully, her dress was flying as she was turning, she was stunning. He grinned at her smile, he loved to see her happy. Unfortunately, it did not happen very often last year with her cancer. Sometimes, he wondered if she would not had been happier if she had never met him. Maybe, she would not have lost her sister, maybe she would not have been in a coma and maybe she would never have had this fucking disease. “No stop that!” Mulder told himself. “It is a happy moment.”

He clapped his hands, it was time to change partners. Nevertheless, this time he was with her. They smiled at each other blushing. So close to him, Scully couldn’t help but think he was gorgeous. She loved the way she felt while her hands were holding his and the way he was the only one who could make her feel safe anytime. He was her touchstone. (But that’s what friends are, aren’t they?)

“Hey, that’s not that bad, Mulder!” She laughed.

“Thank you Scully, you’re pretty good at it too!”

“I know.” She teased him.

They clapped their hands and switched. Much to her surprise, Scully was now with Logan Jenkins. The young man blushed shyly. Enjoying the moment, the redhead did not notice how stressed he had become. As their time together was getting closer to its end, Logan spoke:

“…Miss Scully, there’s something I want to tell you…”

She looked at him waiting for more.

“No, not here… Could we go somewhere else?”

She nodded and followed him. Mulder watched them walking away into the dark.

Logan and Scully sat on a bench far away from the party. The young man took a deep breath and began: “Miss Scully, I-I… I’ve been thinking… Will you marry me?”

“What?” She wasn’t expecting this question at all.

“I know that you don’t want to live in the village forever but me neither. And I promise you that we’ll get out of here together and maybe after-”

“Logan.” She stopped him. “Logan, you’re a lovely boy but that’s not the problem. We have to be in love to get married, but… we’re not.”

“I love you!”

Scully felt sorry for him, he was so young and seemed so weak, she didn’t want to hurt him. “No you don’t Logan, we met three days ago. That’s not love.”

“I disgust you, is that it?” The young man changed his tone.

“What? Of course no! Why would you think that?”

“Why? Because I know that people make fun of me!” He said angrily.

“Logan, that’s not true.”

“According to my father, it is! He told me that I disgusted him, that my mom would be ashamed of me if she was alive!”

Scully knew Rupert was a rude man but she would never have thought he was this kind of father.

“Logan, I’m sure your dad didn’t mean it.”

“Really?! Then, why don’t you want to marry me?!” He replied pointing at her. He was really troubled, Scully thought.

“Logan, calm down please.”

The man was exhausted, he hadn’t slept at all last night and now Scully could see it in his eyes. It was like the Logan she had met wasn’t there, it was somebody else. Gosh, he had seriously been disturbed by the way they lived.

“It’s agent Mulder, isn’t it?! You love him, don’t you?! Gosh!!” He yelled.

“Why would you-“ She began.

“Oh please, I know you do! I’ve noticed how you look at him…” His gaze froze. The FBI agent didn’t say any word, she wouldn’t take the risk to upset him more than he already was.

“Logan, is everything okay?” She asked knowing the answer was no. As he didn’t move and remained silent, she gently put her hand on his shoulder. “Come with me, you need to rest, Logan. I’m gonna bring you home.”

After accompanying Logan to his home, Scully came back to the party to find Mulder. However, her mind was elsewhere, this man needed to be helped. Her partner noticed it and started to worry, he knew that she had talked to Logan and that something had happened but he couldn’t tell what. However, when she asked her a question about what had occurred, she said she was too tired and that she’ll told him the next day. Then she left the party and went back to Julie’s house in order to get some sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, thank you for reading me! I'm gonna try to post one chapter every week. Also, I think there will have five or maybe six chapters. Hope you enjoyed this one. :)


	4. There is a killer among us

At breakfast time, every villager was suddenly surprised by what sounded like a scream of terror. Instinctively, Mulder and Scully rushed outside trying to identify where it was happening. Then, the old woman opened a door from the inside and yelled: "Help! Please! Someone!!" 

It was the Jenkins' house. They could see that there was blood all over her hands, someone had been injured.

The FBI agents ran to her and she led them as fast as possible to the cause of her scream. Logan was laying on the floor, unconscious, with blood around his leg. What had happen? They glanced at him shocked for the moment. But then, Scully came to her senses and knelt next to the young man to check if he was breathing. Fortunately, he was. She found the wound and she pressured on it.

"Ok, I need something... A towel!" She said.

She stared at the old woman as she wasn't moving. "Quickly!" She yelled.

Still in shock, she left the room running.

"Ok, Mulder I need you to pressure on that." The male agent took her place and the redhead started to place the wounded man in the recovery position.

They heard footsteps, Rupert entered aghast. The old woman came back and passed in front of him holding a towel. "Agent Scully?"

"Give it to agent Mulder."

She obeyed and Mulder used it to keep pressure on the wound. 

Scully was looking at Rupert. "Mister Jenkins, is there an aid kit somewhere?"

"What are you doing?!" Angry, he got closer .

Protectively, Mulder raised an hand to prevent him from touching Scully.

"Sir, don't worry, I'm a medical doctor." The woman said.

"So am I!"

"Then, you know that I'm doing it right."

Rupert calmed down and nodded. "I've got an aid kit in the bathroom but we should take him to his bedroom firstly."

"Yeah, ok Mulder you take his legs and you, Mister Jenkins..." As she was talking she put her hands on Logan's chest but she didn't feel any pulse.

"Crap!" 

She placed the young man back on his back, put her hands on his chest and started to give him a cardiac massage.

Rupert shed a tear looking at his son.

Suddenly, the FBI agent stopped.

"Ok, we've got a pulse."

"Thank God." The man whispered.

Later, Scully got out of the bedroom and found Mulder in the living room. Tired, she sprawled next to him on the sofa.

"That's okay, he's gonna make it." She said.

"Is he awake?"

"Yes but he's too weak to talk for the moment. He needs to rest."

"Do you have any idea about what happened to this man?" Mulder asked.

"Well, it seems that Logan has received many knife wounds."

"Knife?" He repeated surprised. "So it has nothing to deal with those we don't speak of, you think?"

"Yeah, the problem is human." She began. "Look Mulder, I think that Logan is very disturbed and firstly I thought about his father, I learnt that he was kinda rude with him... But I've seen the wound and it looks like Logan has stabbed himself."

"Why would he do that?"

She remained silent for a minute thinking. "I don't know Mulder..." She was thinking about the last time she had seen Logan when he told her he was in love with her and got angry. Was it linked to what he had done? She should have made sure he was okay.

Mulder was looking at her, he didn't need her to tell him there was something more. He remembered that she had talked to Logan last night. "Scully, don't you want to tell me what you and Logan talked about?"

She turned her head to take a look at him, her eyes found his and it calmed her. "That was weird, you know. Logan got angry, he yelled at me and he told me that nobody liked him especially his dad. Poor boy..."

"It's not your fault Scully." He said.

"I know..."

"What did he want to tell you?"

Scully took a deep breath thinking about how she was going to say it when Rupert came in. "Miss Scully, Logan wants to thank you."

Mulder's fingers met her hand to help her to calm down before she stood up and moved towards Logan's bedroom. His touch was always able to calm her and she was so grateful he was there with her.

Scully knocked on the door before entering. Logan was laying on a bed in the middle of the room.

“Hi.” He greeted her.

“Hi, how are you doing?” She sat on a chair next to him.

“I’m doing well thanks to you. Thank you Miss Scully.” He smiled at her.

“I’m happy to hear that.” She replied.

“I…” He reached out. Scully took his hand in hers, he looked so young and weak in his bed. “I wanted to apologize for what happened last night.”

“That’s okay, don’t worry Logan.”

“No, I don’t know why I yelled at you, you didn’t deserve it, I’m sorry.” He apologized.

Scully was glancing at his leg. “Why?”

He closed his eyes, not willing to face her. “I can’t explain it, I was very upset, I was… broken. I was thinking about my whole life, my childhood, my father, this village, you… and I saw this knife in the kitchen… I just wanted my mind to shut up.” A tear rolled down his cheek. “I must sound crazy.” He laughed at himself.

She caressed his hand with her fingers.

“I want you to know that this won’t happen again, I promise. Can we still be friends at least?” He asked.

She grinned. “Of course, we can Logan.”

Somebody knocked on the door and opened it. It was Mulder.

“Good morning Logan.”

“Good morning Mister Mulder.” He replied.

“Your father send me to tell you he’s going back to the field but he’ll come back soon.” The male agent said.

The young man nodded and as Mulder was leaving, Scully called him. “Oh Mulder, I’m gonna need more bandages. Rupert told me that there were in his bedroom, could you bring me some, please?”

Mulder opened Rupert’s closet. He couldn’t find what his partner was asking for but his eyes found a box. He noticed that it was a locked one and it drew his attention. Actually, it wasn’t the first time he was seeing this kind of boxes since they were in the village. Indeed, He had found the same one in Julie’s home but it had not intrigued him. However, this time was different. He grabbed the box and as he could see that the lock was not very sturdy, he started to hit it on the floor. After three or four attempts, it broke and Mulder was now able to open the box. There were some old pictures, he could recognize Rupert, Julie, the old woman and some other elderly people. The photo had been taken before they moved in the village as he could see buildings behind them. There were also some old documents and letters but nothing very interesting… What was that? Mulder’s eyes were on a paper where the name of Connor Hunt was written. Connor was Julie’s late husband who had been killed by those we don’t speak of. He began to read it. It was Rupert who had written it and dealt with Connor Hunt’s death. Nevertheless, there was no mention of him crossing the woods or those we don’t speak of but poison. Connor Hunt hadn’t been killed by those we don’t speak of, his death wasn’t an accident. He had been murdered by one of the villagers. Mulder couldn’t be sure it was Rupert Jenkins as it wasn’t explicitly written, maybe Rupert knew it wasn’t the monsters that did it, and maybe he had decided to hide what he had learnt. But why? Or maybe, it was him actually. Anyway, there was a murderer among them.

He closed the box and put it back in the closet. He stood up and left the room.

The FBI investigator went back to Logan’s bedroom. Scully was changing the boy’s bandages.

“I’m sorry, I haven’t found it.” Mulder said.

“That’s okay, I have enough actually.”

He glanced at her, the way her little hands were moving with delicacy, the way her lips were separating slightly as she was breathing. Scully’s look met his and he looked away trying not to blush.

“Finished!” She declared. “I have to go to the bathroom now, I’ll come back.” She left them.

They remained silent for a moment, it was the first time that the two of them were alone and we could feel the tension in the air.

It was Logan who decided to break the silence. “She told you, didn’t she?”

Mulder didn’t understand. “What?”

“Oh, I know that I shouldn’t have told her, Mister Mulder, but I had to take the chance.”

He was a bit lost, what was he talking about?

Logan continued. “Oh no, now it is awkward!”

“What did you have to take the chance for?”

“… I love her.” Logan answered.

“So this is what you two talked about last night? Ok.” Now he knew, the poor guy had a crush on Scully. He understood now why she looked like she was feeling guilty earlier but it wasn’t her fault if the man had stabbed himself.

“Don’t worry, she doesn’t love me back.” The young man added.

“Why would I be worried?” He questioned.

“Oh come’ on Mister Mulder, It’s obvious that you love her too.”

“What?!” The audacity of the boy surprised him.

“Please, the way you gaze at her. I can understand though.”

“I do not gaze at Scully.” He said laughing.

“But what I can’t understand is why you two haven’t talked about that yet. Five years!” Logan continued.

“Could we stop talking about that, please?”

“That’s your choice, sir.”

“Thanks.”

Gosh, was it so obvious that he loved her? So obvious that a guy they had met four days ago could notice it? Who was him for judging him, Logan didn’t know anything about their life. The stakes were too high to try anything. Well, were they? He knew that Scully felt something for him, he could tell by the way she responded to his touch and by the way their eyes met. But was it this kind of love?

“I have to leave you Logan, do you need anything before I go?”

“No, I’m okay, thanks.”

Mulder found Scully in the bathroom washing her hands. He leant against the wall behind her.

“Logan told me.” He started.

“Oh, he told you…”

“It’s not your fault Scully, don’t blame yourself.” He said.

“I know.” She sighed drying her hands.

She hated it and loved it how the man could read her mind so easily. They knew each other for a long time now and she couldn't have imagined how close they would got and how much she would care for him. He was supposed to be just a co-worker but he became her best friend and more, she knew it. 

“Look, when I went to Rupert’s bedroom earlier I found something.”

“And what is it?” The redhead asked.

“It’s a box, Julie has the same one. But when I opened it I-“

“Mulder, you opened it?” She repeated dismayed.

“Yeah Scully but before you say anything I found a paper about Julie’s late husband death. Rupert Jenkins wrote that he had been poisoned.”

“What? So you’re saying that Rupert murdered him?” She questioned in shock.

“Maybe, maybe not. I think he might be protecting the one who did it.”

“Gosh, why would they do that? They’re all so close in the village.”

“I know, but this proves that you were right, there is a killer among us.” Mulder said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for being here guys, I hope you enjoyed. Have a good week!


	5. Do you know?

It was night, the villagers were sleeping when something wake up Mulder. Afraid, he jumped out of his bed but then calmed down, Joseph was standing in front of him in the dark. He rubbed his eyes.

“Joseph? What are you doing here? What time is it?” He asked yawning.

“Mom isn’t in her bed.” The little boy answered.

“She may be in the bathroom.”

“No, she’s not, I’ve checked. Mister Mulder, what if those we don’t speak of have come back?” He questioned worried.

The poor child was terrified by them, Mulder felt sorry for him, Joseph reminded him of his younger self.

“I’m sure she’s okay, Joseph. She must be outside, I’m gonna find her and you’re going to go back to your bed, okay?”

“Okay.” He nodded still afraid. The FBI agent escorted him to his bedroom and dressed up with a sweatshirt before leaving the house.

He started walking fast as it was a bit cold outside. Nevertheless, as everything was calm and we could only see the light of the Moon and the stars, he thought that it was actually a pretty village despite of what they had discovered.

The man heard a noise, it was a door opening. He turned his head to see where it was coming from and was firstly relieved to sight Julie Hunt but then he was intrigued and hid before she could see him. Mulder watched her closing the door behind her, the door of Rupert Jenkins’ house. What was she doing here in the middle of the night?

Mulder and Scully had been in the town for five days now and another day began. Scully visited Logan early this morning to change his bandage and make sure the young man was okay. She found Mulder on her way back to Julie’s home.

“Hi, how is Logan doing?” He asked her.

“Well, he’s still tired but at least it seems his leg will be okay and he will be able to walk in a few days. He’s very lucky actually, I thought we’d have to cross the woods to bring back help but he’s gonna be fine.”

“Thanks to his doctor.” Mulder said smiling. His partner was amazing.

She started to blush but decided to talk of something else to hide it. “So, where do you want to begin? I’m talking about the murderer.”

“Oh yes, we have to find out the truth about Connor’s death… I’ve got a theory actually.” He replied.

“Really? What’s up?”

The FBI investigator looked around them, they were too close from the villagers. Scully understood what he was thinking.

“Joseph is at school and Julie’s in the field.” She said.

They went to the woman’s home and sat in front of the windows. Scully invited him to start talking with her gaze.

“Scully, what do think about Rupert and Julie?” He questioned.

“You mean… individually or them together?” She asked confused.

“Together, do you think there’s something between them?”

“Well, that’s hard to say, I mean we haven’t seen them together so often. Actually, the only time we have was the day we met them.” She answered thinking.

“Maybe that’s it, maybe they don’t interact very often because they hide they’re more than just friends.” The man explained.

She could see by his gaze and by what he was saying that he had learnt something she didn’t know. “Mulder, what do you know?”

“Okay Scully, tonight Joseph came to me because his mom wasn’t in her bed. So I went looking for her outside and then I found her there in the middle of the night.” He explained.

“Where?”

“Right in front of Rupert’s house, she was leaving.”

“And now you think they’re involved in a relationship together?” She questioned sceptic.

“Yeah.”

“Mulder, there are so many possible reasons of her presence there.”

“In the middle of the night?” He asked her.

“I admit it is weird but this whole village is. Maybe they had a meeting to talk about the previous events or maybe Julie was worried about Logan, I don’t know.” The redhead said.

Mulder stood up irritated. “Why is it so hard for you to believe that two people who have known each other for a long time can’t be in love?”

Scully replied with the same tone. “Because if something had to happen, it would have happened way before, Mulder!”

The man couldn’t help but link what she had just said to their relationship and for a second, he felt down. “Is that what you really think?” He looked into her eyes.

Scully felt bad for what she had said, she didn’t mean it to sound like that. But now, she knew what Mulder was referring to and didn’t know how to answer. Was it true, she wondered? The woman had never thought about that this way before. If something had to happen between them, wouldn’t have it already happened.

“Mulder, you know what I was meaning.” She said. “… Tell me, what if they’re involved in any kind of a relationship?”

She had avoided the question. Mulder wasn’t sure if he had to act like if he had not notice it or if he had to ask again. He decided to follow her but he suddenly wanted to eat some sunflower seeds. “Look, Rupert loves Julie and Julie loves him back. They express their feelings to each other but there is a problem, Julie is married to Connor Hunt. Rupert is a doctor and has quite a lot of medicines and stuff like that. Rupert gives it to Julie and Julie gives it to her husband who takes it. Then, you know what’s next.” He explained.

“That doesn’t sound crazy to be honest.”

“Thanks.”

“However, I don’t really think Julie would be capable of that, she’s such a lovely person.” Scully said. “But, killers don’t always look like ones…”

Mulder nodded.

All of a sudden, he had an idea. Without a word, he left the room and Scully wondered what he was doing. Confused, she followed him to the kitchen and saw him grabbing a box. She understood it was the box Mulder had talked about the day before. The man started to hit it on the floor and then, the locker broke. Both sitting next to it, they opened the box.

There were family pictures where they could identify Julie but they didn’t know the other persons standing next to her, maybe they were her parents, she looked so young. There was also the same picture Mulder had found in Rupert’s box with the elderly people in the city. They could tell, it had been taken at least twenty years ago. Nevertheless, something caught their attention. It seemed to be a ripped page from a book and dealt with those we don’t speak of. It looked like Mulder’s book that he had borrowed to the library, there were facts about the beasts and drawings.

“Mulder, there’s everything we need to know about those monsters on it.”

“I know, Scully.” He replied.

“Do you think the elderly people were aware of their presence in the woods when they founded the village?” Scully asked.

“I don’t know, this is getting weirder and weirder.”

Scully looked at her watch.

“Mulder, Julie’s going to come back with Joseph soon. We should put this box where you found it.”

Later that day, as the sky was getting darker, Scully went for a walk around the fields, she needed to focus on Mulder’s theory and what they had learnt since they were here. She didn’t think she’d still be in this forest after five days when they entered the woods. There was definitely something about this town and she could feel they were missing something important to understand. The woman’s thoughts were interrupted by a voice. It was Mulder’s voice.

“Scully!” She heard him calling.

“Mulder? Where are you?”

He didn’t answer but she could tell his voice sounded to come from the woods. She got closer and she heard him again but louder. Scully entered the forest looking for him, she wondered what he was doing.

“Mulder, what do you want?” She asked.

However, he stopped calling and the redhead started to hear a noisy breathing. The same kind of breathing she had heard with Logan in the observation tower.

“Mulder, is that you?” She asked a bit afraid.

The noise was getting louder and louder but she wasn’t seeing anything paranormal for a forest. Suddenly, she felt something on her shoulder. Scared, she turned over ready to fight or run, she didn’t know. But, it wasn’t a beast, it was Mulder.

“Jesus, Mulder you scared me!" She yelled.

He raised his hands in the air. “Sorry Scully. What are you doing here?”

“You mean, you weren’t there?” She questioned.

“No… Why, what’s going on?” He asked worried about his partner.

Scully wondered if she hadn’t made up those noises. “It must be nothing, I-I thought I heard you calling me.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just that this is the second time I have this feeling that something is watching me, you know.” She replied still in shock.

“Come’ on Scully, let’s come back to Julie’s home.” He said placing his hand on her back.

They walked together in a comfortable silence to the house. However, when they arrived neither of them wanted to enter. They wouldn’t admit it but they both wanted to stay a bit longer with the other one. Therefore, they sat on the porch and looked at the stars enjoying the moment together. They heard laughers and they glanced at some teenagers near the border with the woods. One of them was standing in the forest with his two arms in the air.

“You know, I used to do it with my siblings when we were younger.” Scully said. “There was an old abandoned house not far from mine and we used to challenge each other to stand in the hall as long as we could.” She smiled at those memories. “We always got frightened when we heard noises from upstairs.”

Mulder gazed at her, he loved that when she was telling him some of her childhood memories. “And who is the record-holder?” He asked.

“I am, sir.” She grinned.

They remained silent for a minute or two but it was a comfortable silence. It was Scully the first one to break it.

“Mulder, I… I’m not sure you know how grateful I am for your help during my cancer.”

“It’s normal, I’ll always be there for you, Scully.” He said sad about the memory.

The woman took his hand in hers and she began to caress it with circular movements with her thumb. They both gazed at their hands without a word. Then, their eyes met each other's and unconsciously they were both getting closer, their lips getting ready for a kiss. However, Scully stopped unwillingly.

“Do you think, we should call Skinner?” She asked frustrated.

“What?” Mulder was a bit angry, were they going to play this game for a long time?

“Maybe he could find some data about the founders of the village and then-.” She added.

It was the second time of the day that she avoided something important about them. Nevertheless, this time Mulder couldn’t act as if nothing had happened even if Scully could apparently.

“Scully!” He interrupted her.

She stopped talking looking at him shocked.

“How many times are you gonna do that, how many times are you gonna pretend like nothing happened?!”

“Mulder…”

“No please Scully, we can’t play this game anymore! One of us has to say it, one of us has to do something!” He continued angrily. “Do you have any idea of how I feel when you act like that?!Do you know how I feel when you say you’re fine but you’re not?! Do you know how scared I am when you’re in danger?! But more than anything, do you know how much I want to make you happy, Dana?!”

All of a sudden Scully grabbed his head and kissed him. It was both a soft kiss and a passionate one. Mulder couldn’t even think anymore. Scully interrupted the kiss to talk.

“And now, it’s my turn to talk, Fox. Do you have any idea how you make me feel? Do you know how much I’d like to spend time with you but for something else than work? Do you know how I feel every time you go somewhere to do something crazy and dangerous without me? Do you know how you’re the only one that I trust? And do you know how safe I feel when I’m with you?” A tear rolled down her cheek but it was a happy moment.

Mulder took Scully’s head in his hands and wiped her tear with his thumb. She smiled to him and he returned the smile. Then, they put their forehead against each other’s and breathed.

“I love you, Scully.”

The redhead took him into her arms and he hugged her as tight as he could.

“I love you too, Mulder.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, so what do think, I'd like to know? Also, we're approaching the end, I think there will have one ore two chapters more but that's what I said last time... Anyway, thank you so much for being here and see you next week!


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